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. 2014 May-Jun;10(3):553-7.
doi: 10.1016/j.soard.2013.09.010. Epub 2013 Sep 21.

The Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) is not sensitive to cognitive impairment in bariatric surgery candidates

Rachel Galioto  1 , Sarah Garcia  1 , Mary Beth Spitznagel  1 , Gladys Strain  2 , Michael Devlin  3 , Ross D Crosby  4 , James E Mitchell  4 , John Gunstad  5
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The Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) is not sensitive to cognitive impairment in bariatric surgery candidates

Rachel Galioto et al. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2014 May-Jun.

Abstract

Background: Cognitive dysfunction is common among bariatric surgery candidates and associated with poorer weight loss outcomes. Identification of a brief screening measure to detect cognitive impairment in this population is needed, because comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations may not be available in all clinical settings.

Methods: The present study examined the utility of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) for detecting cognitive impairment in 30 bariatric surgery candidates by comparing impairment on the MMSE (at varying cutoffs) to impairment on a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery.

Results: Results indicated that the MMSE showed low sensitivity and specificity in identifying impairment, even at the more stringent MMSE cutoffs of 27 and 28.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that the MMSE is a poor screener for cognitive impairment in bariatric surgery candidates. Future research is needed to identify or develop cognitive screeners for use in this population.

Keywords: Bariatric surgery; Cognitive function; Cognitive screening; Neuropsychological testing.

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References

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